PARIS — Some French fans booed the Israeli national anthem and there were minor scuffles inside a sparsely-attended Stade de France on Thursday (Nov 14) for a Nations League game overshadowed by frictions around the Gaza war.

Seeking to prevent a repeat of violence in Amsterdam last week around a Europa League game involving Maccabi Tel Aviv, 4,000 French security personnel were deployed in and around the stadium and on public transport.

Some 100 Israel fans defied a warning from their government against travelling for sports events, sitting in a corner of the 80,000-capacity stadium which was barely a fifth full.

They waved yellow balloons and chanted "Free the Hostages" in reference to Israelis held in Gaza by Hamas militants.

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